The invention is directed to aircraft and spacecraft hand controllers and, more particularly, to a two-axis side-stick hand controller for a pilot's or astronaut's roll and pitch inputs.
As a result of experience on certain space programs, including the Space Shuttle, it was learned that a controller having a pivot point for pitch at the center of the palm (i.e., a palm pivot) is a feature highly regarded by pilots and astronauts. The flight problems of the Space Shuttle during re-entry and landing are similar to those of an aircraft. The invention provides a palm pivot two-axis controller to be implemented in an aircraft. Space Shuttle and Apollo hand controllers built by the assignee are three-axis hand controllers with the following pivot point configuration:
Roll - 4.5 inches below grip palm center; PA1 Pitch - center of grip palm; and PA1 Yaw - center axis of the grip.
The Space Shuttle hand controller is mounted centrally between the astronaut's knees. In contrast, the palm pivot hand controller of the invention is designed to be a two-axis hand controller with roll and pitch pivot points configured into the center of the grip palm. The primary advantage of the invention is that both roll and pitch pivot axes are situated at the center of the palm. The invention employs a universal or cardan joint within the center of the controller grip. The cardan joint center is attached rigidly to a fixed base and the outside is attached to the grip. The two degree-of-freedom universal joint can consist of any of many specific configurations including a ball and socket or four bearings. In an alternate embodiment, the hand controller can be configured as a three-axis hand controller by constructing it so as to allow the base to rotate about the centerline of the grip.